Tag Archives: Cuvée

2021 Albatross Ridge Cuvée Beton Chardonnay

2021 CUVÉE BÉTON CHARDONNAY

The 2021 Vintage had wonderful warm and mild weather during flowering and bloom leading to above average yields and good fruit cluster uniformity. The 2021 Cuvée Béton Chardonnay is our third vintage to be fermented and aged in our new 100% Amphora concrete vessels. By being completely neutral of any oak this Chardonnay allows us to further view our site in a new interpretation and through a slightly different lens. As we continue to fine tune and evolve we are very excited by the results of working with concrete amphora. 

FOOD PAIRING

Our Cuvée Béton pairs excellent with Oysters, Charcuterie and soft cheeses, shell fish, roasted salmon, risotto and mushroom pizza.

WINE DETAILS

Harvest Date: September 10th-October 10th
Yield: 2.5 Tons Per Acre harvested by hand, night harvest.
Clone: 96 & 15  Ph: 3.21
Brix at Harvest: 20-23.5 Brix      Alcohol: 13%
Vinification: 100% Whole Cluster pressed and fermented in concrete amphora tanks sur lees with no stirring. Full malolactic fermentation.
Aged 9 months in 100% concrete amphora tanks

2019 Albatross Ridge Cuvée Vivienne Pinot Noir

2019 CUVÉE VIVIENNE PINOT NOIR

Named after our winemaker’s daughter, the 2019 Cuvée Vivienne Pinot Noir is a blend of our four clones from our eight Pinot Noir blocks at our Albatross Ridge estate vineyard. For this vintage we were fortunate to have very long ripening and hang time which contributed to the Cuvée Vivienne’s slightly darker color than past vintages and a dense core of tart cherry, ripe strawberry, and a lingering finish of ripe raspberries alongside earthy and mineral undertones. This Pinot Noir drinks exceptionally well now with a little air and will reward a decade of cellaring.

FOOD PAIRING SUGGESTIONS

This wine loves any sort of meat, and elevates a homemade grassfed bacon cheeseburger in our kitchen all the way up to a roasted leg of lamb. We find ourselves pairing this often with duck confit and salad with goat cheese.

2019 VINTAGE NOTES FROM OUR WINEMAKER

The 2019 vintage began similarly to the 2018 vintage, with budbreak slow to develop by late second week of March. Because of this flowering and bloom were pushed back a few weeks later, as was the previous vintage. The weather during flowering and bloom was warmer compared to 2018 and led to consistent fruit set and berry sizes that were fairly uniform, and larger compared to any vintage in the past. Summer weather was mild and cooler however compared to 2018. The Fall weather continued to be mild and this resulted in the longest veraison to harvest gap we have ever experienced up at our vineyard.

WINEMAKING DETAILS 

Harvest Date: September 19th – October 15th
Clones: 828, Pommard, 115, 777 Ph: 3.68  Yield: 1.55 Tons Per Acre 
Brix at Harvest: 21.5-23.7 
Yeast: 100% Native yeast
30% New French Oak 12 Months in Barrel 
Unfined and Unfiltered
Alcohol: 13%